If someone informed you that a person that worked for you raped and sexually assaulted a child, and 10 years go by without any charges being brought, wouldn't you, at the very least, feel obligated to find out why? How pathetically sad to see penn st's search for the football dollar overlook the destruction of the lives of innocent children. Paterno has GOT to go. Shame on you.

Jim Tressel of Ohio State and Joe Paterno of Penn State were considered ideal coaches. Mason and Brewster were fired (for losing games)but neither connected with scandals.

dont say it like it is .. or the strib will remove your comment. should we call our lawyers?

What is more important than football at ANY level, a job, or one's prestige and title is the innocents of a child; be they school age, teenage, vulnerable adult, or any unwanted sexual contact to anyone. The abuser should get the maximum penalty under the law once convicted, and any administrator, coach, or Penn State official or employee who did not make sure this was reported to the police should be fired. Additionally, the mothers of these boys who did not report it should be publicly criticized for not doing the same and immediately reporting this to the police when they heard of it. Football?? Who cares when the emotional well-being of childeren is concerned...it lasts a lifetime!

Joe Pa positively influenced the lives of tens of thousands of kids and fans. Everything I have ever read indicates he is a man of honor and integrity. I find it incomprehensible he did anything wrong in this situation. It's too easy for critics and second-guessers to stand on faux moral high ground. If you hear unsubstantiated claims your buddy is having an affair, do you owe it to his wife to personally investigate the details and then tell her? Joe did what he had to do -- he reported it. Where was this high-and-mighty morality streak during the decades of sexual abuse within the Catholic Church? Two wrongs do not make a right, but looking in the mirror might lend perspective to you attackers and critics.

mrknowitall, if you get a very credible assistant telling you he saw an old man sodomizing your buddies 10 year old naked daughter, do you tell him? Nice friend.

I thought I read that Paterno did inform university officials of a potential problem. Anyone else read / hear that somewhere?

To those who say that Paterno did all he was obligated to do, I say: The law has loopholes - morality does not.

Just thinking here....... But this coach want into retirement d/t he wasnt going to get the head coach job. but still gets to come around the team and traing areas, why. I think there was some kind of knowledge of his problems way before the assistant coach made a statement. Again just thinking here!

Undoubtedly Paterno has earned a stellar reputation based on character and service. It seems to me that there's obviously more behind the situation than we're being made aware of. Think of yourself, if you were told from a credible source about a horrendous crime like this but didn't witness it yourself, you would most likely report it to your superior and feel like you did what was expected of you. Paterno not only did that but also told the truth to the grand jury. I'm not sure what else was/is expected of him since his information was heresay as far as we know.